Boosting Science and Engineering Education in Nigeria

Within the framework of priority Africa, UNESCO in collaboration with the international Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka organized a series conference, training and demonstration workshops in Nsukka, Nigeria, over one week. Several private partners such as Microsoft, Intel, Nokia, Deyrolles and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) also participated in this event.

Around 2700 academics, teachers and students participated in those workshops, including 1500 female students.

The main themes of this week were:

Science Mobile Learning, which aims to inform the scientific community about the latest mobile technology offering educational opportunities and the creation of scientific applications for mobiles devices. The workshop was designed to give an overview of mobile learning, technical instructions, and its impact on society. This workshop brought together experts and stakeholders in the field from (Italy), South Africa, UK, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago.

Global Microscience Experiments, which aims to build capacity in the field of science education through hands-on experimentation and to promote the development of scientific thought and experimentation in primary and secondary schools.

International Year of water cooperation - Global Water Experiments: to celebrate the International Year of water cooperation, nearly 2,000 students including 1500 girls from 15 schools conducted a series of experiments to study the water quality and water purification in their own environment. The objective was to raise awareness amongst students about the importance of water, its rarity and value.

Engineers Without Borders Outreach Training: The purpose of the EWB-UK Outreach Program is to reach out to students to learn more on engineering activities and its importance on their everyday life.

One of the highlights of the week was the presence of Professor Francisca Nneka Okeke, the l’Oréal-UNESCO laureate for Women in Science (2013), who talked about her career and shared her motivation in order to foster interest in enrolling in science among the students, particularly girls.